WAITAHANUI FISHING THREATENED

Taupo Times, Volume II, Issue 58, 25 February 1953, Page 1

WAITAHANUI FISHING THREATENED

ANGLING ASSOCIATION ACTS > This season to date the Waitahanui River, the major fishing locality afc the northern end of the distriet, has not produced its usual prolific results. Frequent falls of pumice from a vertical face 150 feet in height at a point known as "The CavesT some thre miles upstream, have precipitated hundreds of tons of debris into the stream rendering fishing impcssible for days at a time. What damage may be caused to spawning grounds or what may be the effect on spawning runs it is not possible to predict, but it is certain that while the trouble continues the prospeets for river fishing later this season are seriously prejudiced. Members of the Waitahanui Angliiig Improvement Association have inspected the slip on a number of aceasions and have ascertained that repair work to prevent the pumice from reaching the river is obviously beyond the financial resource^ of the Association. Letter to Hon. W. A. Bodkin. Mr O. S. Hintz, president of the Association, has recently written to Mr W. A. Bodkin, Minister for Internal Affairs, voicing the concern of the Association members. In his letter Mr Hintz explains that the pumice from the slip mentioned falls into a tributary stream emerging from a cave at#the foot of the cliff face and is swept periodically into the Waitahanui River. The cave is probably some fifty yards back from the main river, and Mr Hintz states that the one feasible safegiuard against future trouble would seem to be to culvert the tributary stream for a short distance linside and -a greater distance outside the cave, probably thirty yards of culverting in all. Mr Hintz also points out that the Waitahanui is probably ihe river where angling pressure throughout the peason is the heaviest in the distriet, and that the present state of affairs in addition to prejudicing angling gravely may also prejudice the Department's conservation work. For these reasons, says Mr Hintz, the Minister and his advisers may deem it desirable to undertake the protective work that may be found necessary to prevent the continuance of the trouble. Effect on Other Streams. Another aspect of the pumice trouble in the Waitahanui that has been foreseen by many anglers is that continuance of the present condition of affairs, by preventing large humbers of fly-fishermen from fishing there during much of the reihainder of the season, will tend to still further overcrowd the fishing water available on other rivers and streams in the distriet. The consensus of opinion appear to be that the situation calls for definite Departmental action to prevent further damage to a great national asset.